Xybernaut Patents Collar Computer

igargoyle writes "Wearable Computer manufacturer, Xybernaut, has encouraged the kludge that is the patent office by patenting collar based wearable computers. Besides being extremely vague, the whole thing sounds likes the Slashdot article, 'A Linux Machine For Your Collar.' There are many references to this idea, and computer collars have been used as nomadic radios and animal tracking devices before. Please help encourage this company to stop wasting taxpayer's money and encourage innovation instead of preventing it."

Comments

Sigh... the patent office stuffs up again

[MrRTFM]

How many times does this shit have to happen before the Patent Office is called to account for itself.

There have been so many stupid patents in the last few years that I have lost count - patents which have OBVIOUS prior art and are EASILY disputed. Silly patents are becoming the norm, and yet there isnt much news on the dispute of them - perhaps there should be a very serious penalty to companies which patent obvoius things (like one click shopping, etc)

Re:Sigh... the patent office stuffs up again

[jludwig]

Right... the patent office has basically stopped screening patents in an effort to reduce costs. I've had a patent lawyer explain this to me, basically the USPTO office got sick of paying for detailed review of the ever increasing number of patent submissions. The unwritten protocol now is that almost anything goes and the review process essentially occurs if/when the case goes to court. In other words they want the companies to pay for the cost of review in the form of lawyers -only- if the claims in the patent are contested. If no one is going to contest the patent, why spend money reviewing? Its a sort of innocent until proven guilty approach with respect to prior art. Just because a patent is granted nowadays does not mean the claims were valid, it basically means they followed procedure properly.

Re:wtf?

[YeOldeGnurd]

No, it's not like patenting shoes, or shirt collars for that matter. It's a patent for the allegedly "innovative" combination of a computer inside a shirt collar.

The obvious response would be to patent a computer integrated into a thong. The antenna for wireless connectivity could run up the buttstrap. The computer itself could network with other thong computers to guage compatible sexual responses to social interactions, could be used to time fertility for female wearers, and include new and innovative video game controller mechanisms.

stop the problem through good faith? ha!

[abe ferlman]

"Please help encourage this company to stop wasting taxpayer's money and encourage innovation instead of preventing it."

This is like asking corporations to pay their fair share of taxes without passing a law that requires it. If there's one lesson in the success of capitalism as an economic system, it's that people are basically greedy and that what's not forbidden will be done and genrally accepted, even if it's not right.

We need to curtail patents, not shame individual piecemeal patent holders. Get in touch with your legislators or spred the word through publicity stunts that patents are bad, but this sort of rear guard action helps no one.

Text of Patent

[Twinky]

Before you reply, please read the patent file.

Tired of the whining...

[Anonymous Coward]

Every single time there is a patent story we get the masses biching and complaining about the patent system, yet EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU are too farking lazy to write letters to your senators, represenatives, president, governor, etc.. explaining the problem and how it is something bad.

It's time, I'm calling all you asshat's out.

Shit or get off the pot. I.E. if you do not write those letters, and become a patent reform supporter then you need to shut the hell up and be happy.

If you are so lazy that you can not be bothered to get away from slashdot for 20 minutes towrite those letters or make those phone calls, then you are nothing but a waste of space and need to sut up.

Prior art?

[XemonerdX]

IANAL, but wouldn't these jackets made by Levi's & Philips, from 2001, count as prior art?

How are they wasting taxpayer's money?

[Anonymous Coward]

> stop wasting taxpayer's money

Patent applications are not free. And neither are the patent maintenance fees (if the patent is issued).

The USPTO collects so much in fees that the government takes some of the money collected by the USPTO and spends it elsewhere.

Instead of complaining about companies voluntarily PAYING fees to our federal government, we should complain about HOW that money is spent--for example, complaining about the USPTO not being able to use all the collected fees to improve itself would be the smarter thing to do.

If you read the patent laws and policies, you'd see that innovation isn't hurt, but actually helped by "correct" patents. The problem is with patents being granted that do not meet the legal requirements in the first place. But then, those scenarios can play out in court later on and the patent will get killed if it was undeserving of a grant.

Put the blame where it belongs!

[Anita Coney]

You can blame a company who obtained an asinine patent for doing what is perfectly legal. If it doesn't do it, some other company would, and than that Xybernaut would be screwed.

If you have a problem with what Xybernaut did then you should move to change the law. To expect corporations (and citizens) to follow laws which do not exist is as asinine as the patent that Xybernaut obtained.